Bisen



Feb. 9, 1960 H. BlSEN CHECK-OUT COUNTERS 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Feb. 16, 1956 INVENTOR.

HERBERT BISE N ATTORNEY Feb. 9, 1960 H. BISEN CHECK-OUT COUNTERS 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 F led Feb. 16, 1956 II:'. .6 2.9 3 37 a 35 36 33 INVENTOR. HERBERT BISEN ATTORNEY CHECK-OUT COUNTERS Herbert Bisen, New York, N.Y.

Application February 16, 1956, Serial No. 565,949

11 Claims. (Cl. 53-390) This invention relates to improvements incheck-out counters for markets and the like and has for a principal object the provision of a check-out counter adjacent to a cash register operated by a checker, said counter including a displaceable portion which may be inclined to one of several different angles to facilitate the packing of purchased articles.

Another object of the invention is the provision,'in at check-out counter, of a panel adapted to be inclined to any one of several angles with respect to the horizontal surface of the remainder of the counter, said panel beingadapted to support bags into which the articles selected are to be packed, and said panel also carrying an adjustable support for the bottoms of bags'of several sizes.

Yet another object of the invention is theprovision, in a counter of the character described, of 'a settable paneland means adjacent to one end thereof for holding down at least a portion of the open end of -a bag to facilitate the insertion of articles into the bag by the checker.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will be apparent to those skilled in the art, upon a study of this specification and the accompanying drawings.

Referring to the drawings, which are given by way of example to illustrate the invention:'

Figure 1 is a perspective view of a portion of my new and improved check-out counter, showing the panel swingable to several angular positions relative to the horizontal top of the counter;

Figure 2 is an enlarged fragmentary perspective view of a portion of the hinged end of the settable panel, showing one of the hinges and showing details'of the means for engaging the lip of a bag into which the'articles are to be packed;

Figure 3 is a cross-sectional view of the panel and a bag thereon andshowing means engaging a portion of the mouth of a bag to maintain it open to facilitate the packing of articles therein;

Figure 4 is a view of a portion ofthe settablepanel showing the bag bottom support adjusted to a position parallel to and in contact with the upper surface of the panel;

Figure 5 is a cross-sectional elevation taken along the line 55 of Figure 1;

Figure 6 is an enlarged sectional elevation taken'along the'line 6-6 of Figure 1;

Figure 7 is an enlarged fragmentary view, partly in" section, showing the latch setting and how' it engages one of the several sockets in making a setting for a bag of'a given size; and

Figure 8 is an elevation, partly in section of the'bag bottom support and of the bag size adjustment rneans as seen along the line 8-8 of Figure 1.

Referringfirst to Figures 1 and 5,1 show a portion of -a check-out counter 10 which includes solid portions 11' and 12 with an open gap therebetweem Positioned within said gap is a panel 13 which may have comparaice tively thin plate 14 secured thereto as a cover and adapted to be replaced for any reason. The plate 14 has a downwardly extending flange 15 on the back edge as seen in Figures 1 and 5 and a similar flange 21 on the front edge, as seen in Figure 1, and this plate with its flanges may be secured to the panel 13 in any suitable manner; for example by means of screws 22. The panel 13 is secured to the portion 11 by means of hinges, one of v which is shown at 16 and is comprised of a portion 17 secured to the panel 13, a portion 18 secured to the underface of the countertop 11, and these portionsare se-' cured together with the usual pin as shown.

Formed in the depending flanges 15 and 21 inilateral alignment with one another are elongated slots 19 and 24, respectively, and each is provided with a series of notches 20 which are also in lateral alignment and they are provided to cooperate with elements to be presently described. Formed in the end of the panel opposite the hinges, for example the end 23, is "a boltmember generally designated by the numeral 25 which may best be seen in detail in Figure 6 and which comprises a cartridge 26 which is mortised into the end of the panel 23.

Slidably carried in the cartridge is a bolt member or shank 27, an enlarged portion 28 being provided near one end and beyond this enlarged portion 28 is a bolt member 29 which is adapted to engage any one of a series of holes 30, 30a, 38b, 330 or 30d. In Figures l and 6, this bolt 29 is shown engaging a hole 3%} and when i it is so engaged the panel is substantially level withthe- The rear surface of the remainder of the counter. end 31 of the shank 27 carries a series of teeth 32.

also has an annular ring 38 intermediate its length againstwhich the inner end of the spring 36 "presses.- Thus the bolt is constantly urged to the left as seen in Figure 6, by the spring 36, and is restrained by'the engagement of the shoulder portion 28 with the shoulder 37. The bolt 29 per se is so shaped that no pressure on the panel 13 will displace it. However, when it is desired to move the panel angularly to a different level a knob 40 on the end of the shaft 33, which may best be seen in Figure l, is rotated in a clockwise direction and thereby the bolt is withdrawn from the hole 30, in which it is set in Figure 1, and the panel may be swung downwardly so as to have the bolt 29 engage one of the-other holes 30a, 30b, etc. To form a closure for the space between the portion 11 and the portion 12 of the counter, I provide'a member 42 which has an inclined portion 41 and an arcuate portion- 43 preferably formed integral with each other. At the upper extremity of the'portion 43 is a mounting flange 44 which is secured to the counter by means of screws, one of which is shown at 45; 0n the extremity of the angular portion 41 is a similar flange; 46 which is secured to the undersurface-of the counter portion 11 lay-means of screws, one of which is shown at 47.

The bag bottoming frame 48" has a main body portion 49 and on one end thereof is an end portion 50 which has an extension 51 projecting to a point adjacent to the 20 in the slot 19 previously referred to.

extension 54 carrying a stud 55 which cooperate's -with the notches 20 borderingtherslot324'. The"frame tfitis4 adjusted to the notches 20 on the extreme left of Figs. 1

Patented Feb. 9, 1960 2,sa4,ess V or S for bags of the largest size and they engage others of the notches for the bags of smaller sizes. This frame is quickly adjusted to cause the studs 52 and 55 to engage any desired set of notches by swinging the frame to the right about said studs as fulcrums and then the frame is pressed downwardly and slid to the right or to the left in accordance with whether the bag is a large one or a smaller one.

It will be understood that the bottom of the bag, for example the bag A, is in contact with and is supported by the frame 48, when the panel is swung to any of the several positions which are angular with respect to the top of the counter.

Referring to Figure 2, the panel 13 on its right end carries an element or tab 56 which is wedge-shaped in cross-section and which forms an extension of a bar 57. On one end of the bar 57 is formed an end plate 58 which carries a screw 59 and on the other end is carried a similar end plate 60 which is substantially identical with the end plate 58 except that the two are rights and lefts. The bar 57 with its end plates is thereby pivotally carried on the right end of the panel 13 and by depressing the extending arm portion 61 of either the end plate 58 or 60 the bar is rotated and the tab portion 56 is raised so that the lower edge of the open mouth may be slipped under the tab 56 and then when the handle is released the tab engages the lip of the bag and holds it open so that articles may be placed therein by the checker as they are lifted from the counter to ring up the values on a cash register. To cause the tab to engage the bag under tension a spring 62 has a portion hooked under the lever 61 and a portion wrapped around the stud 59 so that its other extremity may engage the panel 13 and thus the urge by this spring is imparted so the tab 56 so that the latter holds the bag under tension. When the bag is filled it may be readily disengaged from the tap 56 by depressing lever 61. When the counter is to be used with a packer or when the number of articles is so small that the panel does not need to be depressed, the frame 48 may be folded down to the position shown in Figure 4 so that said frame in effect forms a portion of the counter.

Formed in the arcuate portion 43, in horizontal alignment with the holes Stla, 33b, 30c, 30d, are holes or depressions 68, and in Figure 3, these depressions are designated as 68a, 68b, 68c, 68d, respectively. A plunger 67 is also seen in Figure 5.

The last mentioned depressions are traversed by the plunger 67 which is loaded by a spring (not shown) and engages one of the depressions 68a to 68d in time with the engagement of any of the holes 30 to 30d by the plunger 29 and thus the opposite edge of the panel 13 is supported in a manner to discourage warping thereof.

In Figure 3, the panel 13 is engaged by a spring 64 which is supported on the panel 11 by screws 65, and thus the spring 64 cushions the free end of the panel 13 adjacent to the edge of the panel 11.

Small bags may be used on the substantially level surface for a small number of articles in some instances while in other instances the bottoming element 48 may be utilized to prevent the bag from tipping over.

It has been found that with the herein described device the checker very quickly learns to pick up the articles which are to be placed in the bottom of the bag first and to pick up others in an order which will place the heavier articles in the bottom of the bag, the medium weight ones in the middle of the bag and the lightweight or more fragile ones on top. After a few times the checker gets so proficient that the job is checked out and packed within practically the same time it formerly took to check out only; thus making it unnecessary to use two persons (or the equivalent), one a checker and the other a packer, to do the same job.

Figure 7 shows the panel 13 inclined with the bolt 29 engaging the hole 300, for example.

Figure 8 is a sectional elevation taken on line 8-8 of Figure 1 and showing the details of the arrangement of the shaft 33 with its bearings 34, 34 and the relation of the shaft with the bolt unit 25, and showing a modification wherein a shaft 63 takes the place of the studs 52 and 55 with the result that the shaft lends greater rigidity to the bag bottoming member 48.

It will also be understood that bolt arrangements such as the bolt 27 of Figure 6 may be provided on each side in which event there would be a second row of holes 30, 36a, 30b, etc. in place of the row of depressions 68 and both bolts would be operated by the shaft 33 so that they could be simultaneously withdrawn from the holes 30, 30a, 30b, etc.

Although I have herein shown and described by way of example one embodiment of the invention, it will be understood that I am not limited to the exact details shown and described, as many changes may be made in said details within the scope of the following claims.

What is claimed is:

1. In a check-out counter, an elongated substantially horizontal support having solid portions with an open gap therebetween, and a panel positioned within said gap and normally supported with its upper surface substantially level with the upper surface of said solid portions, said panel having at least one of its ends depressible to provide a support for a container positioned to receive articles as they are checked out, and means carried by said panel to be engaged by said container adjacent to a closed end thereof and having a surface angular with the surface of said panel.

2. A check-out counter having aligned spaced-apart solid portions forming a counter top with an open gap therein, the upper surfaces of said portions being substantially level, a panel being positioned within said gap and having its upper surface substantially level with said other surfaces and being adapted to have at least one end thereof depressed to provide a support for a container to receive articles as they are checked out, and means carried by said panel to be engaged by said container adjacent to a closed end thereof and having a surface angular with the surface of said panel.

3. A check-out counter having aligned spaced-apart solid portions forming a counter top with an open gap therein, the upper surfaces of said portions being substantially level, a panel positioned within said gap and having one end hinged to one of said portions, the other end of said panel being adapted to be depressed and thereby to bring it into angular relation with said surface,

and means to retain said panel in said depressed position, and means carried by said panel to be engaged by said container adjacent to a closed end thereof and having a surface angular with the surface of said panel.

4. A check-out counter having aligned solid portions forming a counter top with an open gap therein, the upper surfaces of said portions being substantially level, a panel positioned within said gap and hinged to one of said portions, an arcuate guide plate opposite the hinged end of said panel and having a series of holes therein, a catch bolt carried by the free end of said panel and adapted to traverse and engage any one of said holes, and means carried by said panel for withdrawing said bolt when it is desired to change the angular position of said panel.

5. A check-out counter having aligned solid portions forming a counter top with an open gap therein, the upper surfaces of said portions being substantially level, a panel positioned within said gap and hinged to one of said portions, a comparatively thin plate secured to said panel and having depending flanges on each side thereof, slot means in each depending portion each carrying a series of notches, and a bag bottoming member having depending sides at least one of which carries shaft means extending into one of said slot means and adapted to be brought into engagement with one of the notches of said.

series in accordance with the size of bag to be supported thereby.

6. A cheek-out counter having aligned solid portions forming a counter top with an open gap therein, the upper surfaces of said portions being substantially level, a panel positioned within said gap and hinged to one of said portions, a comparatively thin platte secured to said panel and having depending flanges on each side thereof, slot means in each depending portion each carrying a series of notches, and a bag bottoming member having depending sides carrying shaft means extending through said slots from one side to the other of said panel whereby said shaft means may be brought into engagement with aligned notches in accordance with the size of bag to be supported.

7. A check-out counter having aligned solid portions forming a counter top with an open gap therein, the upper surfaces of said portions being substantially level, a panel positioned within said gap and hinged to one of said portions, a comparatively thin plate secured to said panel and having depending flanges on each side thereof, slot means in each depending portion carrying a series of notches, a bag bottoming element having depending sides carrying shaft means extending through said slots from one side to the other of said panel, whereby said shaft means may be brought into engagement with aligned notches in accordance with the size of bag to be supported, and engaging means adjacent to the hinged connection of said'panel for engaging one edge of the open mouth of a bag and holding the same open to facilitate the placing of articles therein.

8. The invention according to claim 7 in which pivoted means spring loaded in the direction of said panel constitutes the means for engaging the open mouth of said bag.

9. The invention according to claim 7 in which the means for engaging the open mouth of said bag is comprised of a bar laterally spanning said counter adjacent to the hinged end of said panel and pivotally mounted thereon, a bag engaging element mounted on said bar, spring means urging said bar in a direction about its pivots for urging said engaging element into contact with said panel, whereby a portion of the mouth of a bag positioned under said holder holds it fixed until released, and handle means within the reach of a person checking articles for raising said holder prior to placing a portion of the mouth of a bag beneath said holder or removing the same therefrom.

10. A check-out counter having aligned solid portions forming a counter top with an open gap therein, the upper surfaces of said portions being substantially level, a panel positioned within said gap and hinged to one of said portions, an arcuate guide plate opposite the hinged end of said panel and having a series of holes therein near one edge thereof, a series of depressions in lateral alignment with said holes near the opposite edge thereof, a catch bolt carried by the free end of said panel and adapted to traverse and engage any one of said holes, means engageable with any of said depressions to steady said panel as the bolt is engaged with any of said holes, and means carried by said panel for withdrawing said bolt when it is desired to change the angular position of said panel.

11. In a check-out counter, an elongated substantially horizontal support having a solid portion and a panel positioned adjacent one end thereof and normally supported with its upper surface substantially level with the upper surface of said solid portion, said panel having at least one of its ends depressible to provide a support for a container positioned to receive articles as they are checked out, and means carried by said panel to be engaged by said container adjacent to a closed end thereof and having a surface angular with the surface of said panel.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 740,434 Howe Oct. 6, 1903 2,143,218 Thurner Jan. 10, 1939 2,569,711 Foster Oct. 2, 1951 2,641,400 Simmons June 9, 1953 

